Shade-holding device.



No. 761,837. PATHNTHD JUNE-7, 1904.- f 0. L. HOPKINS.

SHADE HOLDING DHVIGH.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25, 1903. N0 HODEL.

me mms Pczns co. Pumaunm., wAsmNoToN, u. c

sired point of elevation.

UNITED STATES Patented June 7, 1904.

' PATENT OEEICE.

CHARLES'L. HOPKINS, OE ALBANY, NEWL'YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE CUR- TAIN SUPPLY COMPANY, OF WEr ARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SHADE-HOLDING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '761,837, dated June 7, 1904.

Application led September 25, 1903. Serial No. 174,585. (No model.)

T0 all wit/)711, it Tim/y concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. HOPKINS, a

y citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shade-Holding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in that class of devices which are adapted to be secured to the lower edge of a curtain or shade to guide the shade and to hold it at any desired point against the tendency of its spring shade-roller to draw it up.

More particularly this invention relates to that class of shade-'holding devices wherein a stick carried by the shade is provided with spring-pressed heads moving in grooves at the sides of the window, these heads having means for frictionally engaging the windowframe, -whereby the shade is held at any de- Such devices are usually provided with means for disengaging the frictional holding means at the ends of the stick from the window-casing whenit is desired to raise or lower the shade, consisting of rods extending inwardly from the heads and a handle or pendant, secured to the inner end of each rod, conveniently placed to be grasped by the hand of the operator.

The invention herein shown and described relates to improved means for securing the pinch-handles or pendants to the rods, as well as to new and simple frictional holding means to be carried by the heads, the objects of this invention being to provide a simple, cheap, and effective device of the class described.

In the drawings, Eigure 1 is a face viewfof a window-frame, parts of which are broken awaymhaving mounted therein a shade provided with vmy improved shade-holding device. Fig. 2 is a broken longitudinal section of the shade-holding device, showing the method of Securing the pendants or pinchhandles to the rods and one of the heads at the outer end of a rod. Fig. 3 is a broken sectional view of a part of the tubular stick, showing the method of inserting the rods. Fig. 4 is a broken elevation ofthe lower side ofthe middle portion ofthe device before the pendants are applied to the rods. Eig. 5 shows 50 a modification of the method of securing the pendant to the rod. Fig. 6 shows a modification of the head.

In the drawings, 10 is the shade, which winds upon the roller 11, which has a tendency to wind up the shade at all times. The tubular shade-stick 12 is carried in the lpocket 10', formed in the material of the shade.

At each end of the stick 12 is a head 13. This head is secured to the outer end of the rod 14, which is slidably mounted within the stick 12. This rod 14 has its inner end bent downwardly at a right angle to its main portion, this downwardly-bent end projecting l.outwardly through a slot 16 in the wall of the 65 20, passing through the escutcheon-plate 17, secures the escutcheon-plate to the stick 12.

The collar 21, within the stick 12, maintains 8O the'rod14 in the center of the tube 12.

At the outer end of the rod 14 the head 13 carries a wheell .of peculiar 'form above the plane of the tube 12 and a similar wheel below the plane of the tube. These wheels 22 S5 and 22' are so' mounted in the head 13 as to have only a partial rotation. The most practical and convenient method of causing these wheels to have only a partial rotation is to cut away a .portion of each wheel, so as to give the wheels the peculiar form shown in Fig. 2, and to insert the pins 23 and 23 in the head 13, so that the wheels 22 and 22 will con? tact with these pins.

The action of this device may be explained as follows: The tendency ofthe spring-roller 11 is to wind up the shade. rlhe tendency of the spring 15 in the stick 12 is to force the heads 13 outwardly and the wheels 22 and 22/ against the window frame. These wheels may rotate until they contact with the pins 23 and 23', but will not be permitted any further rotation and will act as friction devices to prevent the shade ascending, as is well understood in this art. When it is desired to raise or lower the shade, this will usually be accomplished by pinching the pendants 18 together and retracting the rods 14 and heads 13, with their wheels 22 and 22; but as shades of this kind are often manipulated by inexperienced persons by grasping` the stick near one end and moving the shade up or down provision must be made for self-alinement of the device under such conditions.

It has been found that if a shade-holding device of this general class is provided with heads having a rounded friction-surface at .each end of the head the heads will be thrown out of the grooves if the stick be grasped by one end and suddenly drawn down, but that if the device be started gently and carefully the heads will remain in the grooves and the rounded friction-surfaces will slide along the grooves without much friction after being once started. Now it is evident that with the arrangement of parts here shown the wheels 22 and 22 will begin to rotate when the shade is manipulated by drawing down one end ofE the device, but will make only a partial rotation. This permits the heads to be started downwardly without friction, the wheels aeting in starting as antifriction-rollers, and eX- perience has shown that the device will continue to descend level after the wheels have stopped rotating. lt will be seen, then, that the object of giving the wheels rotation at the beginning of their movement along the groove is that the device may start from its position of rest evenly and move downwardly for a short distance without friction. It is believed that this simple arrangement fuliils all the requirements of a commercially successful device of its class.

The method of assembling the parts of this shade-holding device will be described. The tubular stick 12 is inserted into the pocket 10 of the shade 10. The rods 14 are then inserted into the stick through the slot 16, the shade material being, of course, cut away to permit this. The sleeves or collars 21 are then placed within the tube 12 and surrounding the rods 14. These sleeves may be conveniently inserted from the ends of the tube and iit closely within the tube, so as to be prevented from sliding with the rods 14. The escutcheon-plate 17 is now placed over the tube-slot 16, with the ends of the rods 14 projecting through the escutcheon-slots 17 and 17, as shown in Fig. 4, and the screw 2O inserted to hold the escutcheon 17 in place. 'lhe pendants 18 are now screwed onto the rods 14 and the screws 19 inserted to prevent rotation ol the pendants and the consequent detachment of the pendants from the rods. 'lhese screws 19 move back and forth in the escutcheonslots 17 and 17H when the pendants and rods are moved. The springs 15 are now put in place, and the heads 13, carrying their wheels 22 and 22', are screwed onto the ends of the rods 14, and the device is ready for use.

A modiiieation of the method of securing the pendant to the rod is shown in Fig. 5, in which the pendant 18" carries the screw 19", which impinges the rod 14 when screwed in. Other methods of securing the pendant tothe rod may be employed by a skilled mechanic without departing from the principle ol the invention. 1 am aware that heretofore alixture has been made in which the rods are iuserted through the tube-slot; but in that device the handles are secured to the rods be fore, the rods are inserted into the tube and the escutcheon-plate is separated into parts and placed around the handles. ln the present inventionthisdiiiicultyisovercome. 'lhe pinchhandle in all devices of this class heretofore made, so far as l am aware, has been inserted through the slot. Consequently the slot has had to be made of considerable width, which weakens the tubular stick.

1n Fig. 6 is shown a modiiication of the head in which the head 13 is provided with the wheels 22 and 22 The wheel 22 is provided with the pin 22", which contacts with the pins 24 and 24c to prevent the wheel having a complete revolution. The wheel 22l has a similar pin 22, which contacts with the pins 23 and 23. Other combinations of parts whereby the wheels may at iirst rotate as the shade is drawn down, but will be locked after the heads have moved along the grooves for a short distance, may occur to a skilled workman, and I do not desire to be limited to the disclosure herein made.

I claim 1. In a shade-holding device, the eombination of a stick having a channel for a movable rod and a slot opening into the channel, a rod within the channel having its end bent downwardly and projecting through the slot, a pinch-handle secured to the end ofthe rod, and means inserted into the pinch-handle and extending into the slot to prevent rotation of the pinch-handle and consequent detachment of the same from the rod.

2. 1n a shadesholding device, thc combinalOO llO

sition.-

tion. of a stick having a channel for a movable rod and a slot communicating with the channel, a rod within the channel having its end bent at an angle to its main portion and eX- tending outwardly through the slot, a pendant applied to the rod, and means carried by the pendant and extending into the slot for preventing rotation of the pendant.

3. In a shade-holding device, *the combination of a stick having a channel for a movable rod and a slot communicating with the channel, a rod inserted into the channel through the slot, said rod having its end bent at an angle to its main portion to project through the slot, means within the stick for maintaining the rod in the center of the stick, and a pinch-handle secured to thelrod outside they stick.

4.. In a shade-holding device, the combination of la jtubular stick having a slot in its wall, a rod having its end bent at an angle to its main portion and inserted into the stick,

-the end of the rod projecting, outwardly.

through the slot, a cover-plate having a slot, said cover-plate being passed over the projecting end of the rod and secured to the stick, and a pinch-handle secured to the projecting end of the rod after the cover-plate is in po- 5. In a shade-holding device, the combination of a stick, a slot in the stick, a rod having its end bent at an angle toits main portion within the stick, the bent end of the rod projecting from the stick through the slot, a cover-plate having a slot secured to the stick over the slot in the stick, and a pendant applied to the bent end of the rod outside the stick after the cover-plate is secured to the stick.

6. In a shade-holding device, the combination of a slotted tubular stick, a rod inserted into the stick through its slot, said rod having a short portion of-its length bent at an angle to its main portion, said short portion being' of such length as to project from the stick after the rod is in position in the tubular Stick, an escutcheon-plate slipped over the projecting end of the rod, and a pinch-handle secured to the projecting end of the rodafter the escutcheon-plate is in position.

7. In a shade-holding device, the combination of a stick having a channel for a movable rod and a slot opening into the channel, a rod within the channel having its end bent downwardly and projecting through the slot, a pinch-handle secured to the end of the rod, and means for preventing rotation of the pinch-handle and consequent detachment of the same from the rod. J

8. In a shade-holding' device, the combination of a stick, a head 'at the end of the stick, a window-frame adjacent to the head, a wheel rotatively mounted in the head contacting with the window-frame, a part carried by the head adjacent to the wheel, means carried by the wheellfor contacting with the said part to prevent rotation of the wheel whereby the wheel may never have complete rotation, so that the wheel may at iirst rotateas the shade is drawn down but is prevented from rotating after the shade is drawn down alimited distance, for the purpose set forth.

9. In a shade-holding device, the combination of a shade-stick, a head at the end of the shade-stick, a window-casing adjacent to the head, wheels rotatively mounted in the head contacting with the window-casing, a part carried by the head adjacent to each wheel for preventing rotation of the wheel, and means carried by a wheel for contacting with the said part, whereby the wheel may make a partial revolution but may never make a complete revolution, for the purpose set forth.

10. In a shade-holding device, the combination of a stick having heads at the ends thereof, a window-frameadjacent toa head, wheels mounted in the head contacting with the window-frame and normally acting as friction devices, and means whereby the wheels may make a partial revolution and thus move along the window-frame without friction for a limited distance, but may'never make a complete revolution, for the purpose set forth. y

ll. In ashade-holding device, the'combination with a stick, of a head at the end of the stick, a wheel carried by' the head, a pin adjacent to the wheel, means carried by the wheel for contacting with the pin to prevent rotation of the wheel, said wheel having a partial rotation only, whereby the wheel normally acts as a friction device but may act as an antifriction device as the shade is drawn down for a limited distance only.

l2. In a shade-holding device, the combination of a stick, aslidable rod within the stick, a spring-pressed head at the outer end of the rod, a rotary member carried by the head having apartial revolution but never having complete revolution and normally acting as a friction device but adapted to act as an antifriction-roller as the shade is drawn downwardly for a limited distance only, and means at the inner end of the rodv for retracting said rod. f

13. In a'shade-hold ing device, the combination with a shade-stick, of a spring-pressed head at the end of the stick, a wheel mounted in the head, means imvmovably iixed in the head adjacent tothe wheel with which the wheel normally contacts to prevent rotation of the wheel and whereby the wheel may never have complete rotation but said means permitting partial rotation of the wheel for the purpose of permitting the' shade to move IOO IIO

downwardly for a short distance without fricslot in the tube, a pinch-handle secured to the tion, substantially as and for the purpose set rod, and rneans for preventing rotation ol the forth. pinch-handle.

14. Inashade-holding device, the combina- In testimony whereof 1 have signed my 5 vtion with a tubular stick, the stick having a name to this speciiieation in the presence ol 15 slot, of a bent rod inserted into the tube two subscribing witnesses.

through the slot andhaving an end project- CHARLES L. HOPKINS. ing outwardly through the slot, a cover-plate fitnessest secured to the' stick over the slot, the cover- J. J. FLAHERTY,

IO plate having an opening registering with the A. E. RnDMoND. 

